U is for Unstyled Life

I had to take this picture quickly for a new topic image on the blog. It will be at a much smaller scale, the same size as the topic images I already have on the left, so I’m confident no one will notice that I took this with my lens fully extended or whatever it’s called when you pull all the way out versus zooming in. At this size, you can see doing that made the top rail of my board and batten appear curved. Oh well. Deadlines are deadlines and this image had to work.

The pictures in the basket used to be in my hallway. I took them down when we repainted, and I have yet to hang them. They’ve been piled in there ever since, waiting for me to gain the confidence to knock nails in the wall. Secretly? The silhouette is my favorite part of the picture. It looks styled, but it’s not. Until I uploaded this picture, one I took in a panic, I never noticed how quaint this little corner of our home looks. Truly, it’s my favorite part of the house. I walk by that stack of books several times a day and get so much comfort, probably because books have always and forever been my faithful companions. Those who don’t exactly fit the mold in real life can usually find a kindred spirit in the pages of a good book. I’m sure many of you understand. Birds of a feather and all that jazz.

I was happy to know that an area of my home that makes me feel good also happens to look good. As funny as this sounds, I had no idea it looked so sweet. In my mind, I thought I was taking a picture of a jumble of books and pictures. Instead, I captured comfort, familiarity, and family. There is your proof that there is beauty everywhere around you. No need to fluff pillows on the regular, I say. Odds are, if you fill your home with things you love, it will be beautiful.

Hmmm. I’ve just prattled on for three paragraphs about how pretty this unstyled area of my home is, and perhaps you think it looks like a big pile of scraps! Don’t tell me if you do. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I’m susceptible. ;)

When I did my first post on an unstyled home, I wasn’t expecting the response I received. Quite a few of you went and grabbed your cameras and started clicking around the house and office, looking for unstyled† beauty. It was fun visiting everyone’s blogs and taking a peek into your lives. I saw lots of toys in hallways, and I have to say, they never looked so good. Since then, I’ve been thinking it might be fun to share our pictures here on Fridays, the day I originally took my unstyled pictures. You can share a link in the comments to images of your own unstyled life and we can all sit back and relax, using our pictures to shake off the sometimes not-so-great feeling we perfectionists pick up from the media, both online and off.

That’s what I wanted to do. But I didn’t. I started worrying that maybe it was a stupid idea or that people wouldn’t participate. I decided today, just now, that I didn’t care about the relative success of one of my ever growing list of endeavors. My concerns, and I will always have concerns about something, prevented me from taking a minute to regularly appreciate my environment. That’s a shame, don’t you think? (And so very indicative of how important it is for my own growth that I do this.) So. Fridays. We’ll synchronize our watches and post together. Or not. I’ll be here for sure.

And, hey, if I know that I will be taking weekly photos, maybe I will be more motivated to put away the laundry.

(I didn’t give you much time to post, this being a last minute decision and all, but if you would like to play along, the comments are wide open.)

That’s kind of the point. :) I think we get hung up on the idea that our homes aren’t good enough, when it turns out that the unstyled parts look better than anything styled. I walk past this area everyday and always think that it looks cluttered and that I should hang up the pictures already. Of course, behind me in this picture is an ENORMOUS pile of laundry that I still need to put away.

Also, I’ve been working at taking better pictures, and I think I’m finally improving! Must be that Tristan has me taking pictures everyday. You’d be surprised how good something looks just by holding the camera a certain way.

Also #2, it never hurts to edit your pictures for free in picknic. ;)

p.s. You can put a link in the comments any time for the rest of the week. No need to do it today. The east coasters are almost in bed by now.

Jules-my unstyled areas….ummm, wait…I don’t have any areas that AREN’T unstyled. :/ I am so entirely frustrated with my home right now. It doesn’t make me feel good or happy most of the time. My furniture is 10 years old (yes, that’s 3 kids potty trained, 4 infants diapers changed, spitting up, etc—gross), my kids couldn’t pick up their own stuff to save their lives…and and and. Now, I’m all worked up. :( Your “unstyled” area has more style than any area in my whole house. My room is semi-styled…but needs new flooring. There is something that needs done in EVERY STINKING area/room. But, I love seeing your pics and I hope that others participate b/c I look forward to seeing them.

Much of my furniture is ten years old (some of it older since it was thrifted), and there isn’t an item in that picture that is less than 5 years old. That tin bucket and fake flower thing is 11 years old. The beds we are putting the boys in are at least 25 years old. They belonged to my brothers and are 1980s oak with brown speckles.

I was thinking about it, but sometimes people use those to get more traffic to their site. I didn’t want people to think that is my end goal, because it’s not. I’m having a great time (working my bum off btw) doing Tristan’s 30-day Souvenir Foto. I have found that the more creative things I do, the more creative I become. The 30 days are almost up–only a week left–and I want to replace that creative endeavor with something new.

If the linky thing is easier for everyone, I will do that. Opinions welcome.

I LOVE this corner of your room. The books, the green, and the silhouette peeking out is really fun. I think I need a silhouette or two somewhere, they feel like fall to me.
I like the idea of a little link party, I will try for next week.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Londen

I love this idea and especially love the creativity of it! I hope to be able to play along soon…but we need to unpack first. Because our house is most definitely unstyled. Unless you count “Moving Chic” a style. :p Seriously, it’s only been a week and we finally have found our kitchen. Actually cooked on our stove for the first time last night. Well, I didn’t. Hubby did. Because I don’t cook.

I’m thoroughly enjoying all these picture posts, but I tell you: This one takes the cake! I promise I was in my Google reader thinking, “where did she get that picture?” Totally looks like something out of Lonny magazine! What I love even more, though, is that instead of going all “Look what I did” on us, you reminded us we’ve got little lovely spots in our own homes and lives, just waiting to be photographed. And that, my friends, is why I keep on coming back for more.